The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, Scotland, 15 miles (24 km) west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is also notable for the fact that Mary, Queen of Scots, was born at Linlithgow Palace in December 1542 and lived at the palace for a time. As of this writing (2024) it has recently reopened after a period of closure to restore some of the stonework. And it featured briefly in Season 1 of Outlander filming. It was used as Wentworth Prison, the grim site of Jamie's horrendous ordeal at the hands of Black Jack Randall.
This image was taken on my second visit to the palace, and is of course one of the circular staircases in the structure. Looking down I noticed the beautiful soft light from one of the openings, which, on that overcast day, acted as a soft box to gently illuminate the stone steps, revealing their centuries of wear and the gentle layers of different colors weaving through the stone. Indeed, it does make a wonderful image in color, but reducing it to black and white accentuates not only the circular pattern of the descending steps, but also the beautiful texture in the stone.
You can also see an image in my color pages of fishermen on the lake right behind the castle.
